Laminated fabrics and protective covers with post-industrial and/or post-consumer content and methods of making laminated fabrics and protective covers with post-industrial and/or post consumer content

ABSTRACT

A method of recycling laminated fabrics and laminated fabric products and producing new laminated fabrics and laminated fabric products includes the steps of shredding scrap or used laminated fabric material, melt separating the polymers, pelletizing the melt separated polymers, extruding the pelletized material with at least one virgin material to form a film, and laminating the film to a nonwoven material to form a new laminated fabric. The scrap or recycled laminated fabric products can include plastic/polymer materials having different melting temperatures. The new laminated fabric can be utilized to produce new products, such as protective covers.

This application is a divisional application claiming priority from U.S.patent application Ser. No. 17/074,766, filed Oct. 20, 2020, whichclaims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.62/923,739, filed Oct. 21, 2019. The disclosures of all of theabove-referenced applications are hereby incorporated in theirentireties by reference.

The present invention relates to laminated fabrics and protective coversand, in particular, to laminated fabrics and protective covers thatinclude post-industrial (“PI”) and/or post-consumer (“PC”) content andmethods of making them.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Laminated and shrinkable protective covers have been widely used forindustrial shipping and storage applications for more than twenty fiveyears. Examples of such covers are discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,491,017, 5,623,812, 5,705,566, 5,712,008, 6,562,740 and 8,637,139.

Known laminated protective covers are often constructed from laminatedfabric having layers made from multiple polymers. These polymers oftenhave different melting temperatures (“Tm”), which may vary significantlyfrom polymer to polymer. It is advantageous when recycling plastics toprocess materials that have similar properties, such as meltingtemperatures, together. This is one reason why recyclable plasticproducts typically include ASTM International Resin Identification Codesindicating the type of plastic from which the product is made. Thecurrent ASTM coding system is as follows:

TABLE 1 ASTM Code Material 1 Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET or PETE) 2High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) 3 Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) 4 LowDensity Polyethylene (LDPE) 5 Polypropylene (PP) 6 Polystyrene (PS) 7other plastics, such as acrylic, nylon, polycarbonate and polylacticacid (PLA)

Recycling facilities may only accept items for recycling that are madefrom particular materials, due to the equipment capabilities of thefacility.

Laminated fabrics that are designed for use as protective covers areoften constructed from a film, an adhesive material and a nonwovenmaterial. The film often includes polyethylene (“PE”), includingbranched and/or linear PE polymers, such as low density polyethylene(“LDPE”) or its branched or unbranched copolymers, such as ethylenevinyl acrylate (“EVA”), ethylene methyl acrylate (“EMA”), ethylene butylacrylate (“EBA”) or linear low density polyethylene (“LLDPE”). The filmmay or may not be shrinkable. The film often includes UV and antioxidantadditives as well as pigments for color.

The adhesive used in these laminated fabrics are often hot meltadhesives designed for outdoor use, so they tend to include saturatedblock-co-polymers.

The nonwoven layer is typically the layer with the highest meltingtemperature polymer. In many instances, the nonwoven is a PET. Otherpolymers, such as nylons, are also used for the nonwoven layer.

Laminated fabrics and covers that have a film made from PE, such as, forexample, LDPE (a Code 6 plastic), and a nonwoven layer made from PET (aCode 1 plastic) are often not accepted by recycling facilities becauseof the significantly different melting temperatures of these materials.For example, LDPE and its copolymers have a melting temperature range ofabout 85-110 degrees Celsius, whereas PET has a melting temperature aslow as about 245 degrees Celsius. The presence of hot melt adhesivebetween the film layer and nonwoven layer adds another level ofcomplexity to most recycling operations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention includes methods of recycling products, such aslaminated fabrics and protective covers, that include plastic/polymermaterials having significantly different melting temperatures, such asprotective covers that include a film having a polyethylene polymer,such as, for example, LDPE, and a nonwoven layer having PET. In oneembodiment of the invention, the melting temperature difference isgreater than 100 degrees Celsius. In other embodiments, the meltingtemperature difference is between about 10% and about 225%. Theprocessed recycled material can be used to produce other products, suchas new protective covers. For example, according to one embodiment ofthe present invention, a method of recycling laminated fabrics andlaminated fabric products and producing new laminated fabrics includesthe steps of shredding the scrap or used laminated fabric, meltseparating the polymers, pelletizing the melt separated polymers,extruding the pelletized material with at least one virgin material toform a film, and laminating the film to a nonwoven material to form anew laminated fabric. According to embodiments of the invention, thepolymers do not have to be completely separated, either before or afterpelletizing.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a laminated fabric includesa film layer, a nonwoven layer, and an adhesive between the film layerand the nonwoven layer. The film layer includes at least some of a firstcomponent from a recycled laminated fabric product, at least some of asecond component from the recycled laminated fabric product, and atleast one virgin polymer resin. The first component of the recycledlaminated fabric product has a melting point and the second component ofthe recycled laminated fabric product has a melting point different fromthe melting point of the first component of the recycled laminatedfabric product.

In one embodiment, the first component of the recycled laminated fabricproduct is a polyethylene polymer. In another embodiment, the secondcomponent of the recycled laminated fabric product is PET. In otherembodiments, the first component of the recycled laminated fabricproduct and the at least one virgin resin are the same material.

In certain embodiments, the difference between the melting point of thefirst component of the recycled laminated fabric product and the meltingpoint of the second component of the recycled laminated fabric productis at least 14%. In other embodiments, the difference between themelting point of the first component of the recycled laminated fabricproduct and the melting point of the second component of the recycledlaminated fabric product is at least 100 degrees Celsius.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a laminated fabric includesa film layer, a nonwoven layer, and an adhesive between the film layerand the nonwoven layer. The film layer includes at least some of a firstcomponent from a recycled laminated fabric product, the recycledlaminated fabric product having a first component having a melting pointand a second component having a melting point different from the meltingpoint of the first component.

In one embodiment, the laminated fabric is heat shrinkable. In anotherembodiment, the recycled laminated fabric product is heat shrinkable. Incertain embodiments, the laminated fabric is heat sealable.

In certain embodiments, the content of material from the recycledlaminated fabric product is less than 90% by weight. In otherembodiments, the content of material from the recycled laminated fabricproduct is greater than 1% by weight.

In one embodiment, the first component of the recycled laminated fabricproduct is a polyethylene polymer. In certain embodiments, the secondcomponent of the recycled laminated fabric product is PET. In otherembodiments, the first component of the recycled laminated fabricproduct and the at least one virgin resin are the same material.

In another embodiment, the film layer includes at least some of thesecond component from the recycled laminated fabric product.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of making alaminated fabric includes the steps of obtaining an existing laminatedfabric product, the existing laminated fabric product having a firstcomponent having a first melting point and a second component having asecond melting point different from the melting point of the firstcomponent, dividing the existing laminated fabric product into two ormore pieces, shredding at least some of the two or more pieces of theexisting laminated fabric product to produce a shredded product, meltseparating the first component from the second component in at leastsome of the shredded product to produce a first product stream having amajority of the first component and at least some of the secondcomponent and a second product stream having a majority of the secondcomponent, pelletizing the first product stream to produce pelletshaving a majority of the first component and at least some of the secondcomponent, providing at least one virgin polymer resin, forming thepellets and the at least one virgin polymer resin into a film, heatingthe film, providing a nonwoven material, applying adhesive to thenonwoven material, and laminating the film to the nonwoven material.

In one embodiment, the first component of the existing laminated fabricproduct and the at least one virgin polymer resin are the same material.

In certain embodiments, the pellets and the at least one virgin polymerresin are extruded to form a cast film. In other embodiments, thepellets and the at least one virgin polymer resin are extruded to form ablown film.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a method of making alaminated fabric includes the steps of obtaining an existing laminatedfabric product, the existing laminated fabric product having a firstcomponent having a first melting point and a second component having asecond melting point different from the melting point of the firstcomponent, separating the first component of the existing laminatedfabric product from the second component of the existing laminatedfabric product, forming the first component of the existing laminatedfabric produce into pellets, providing at least one virgin polymerresin, forming the pellets and the at least one virgin polymer resininto a film, providing a nonwoven material, and laminating the film tothe nonwoven material.

In one embodiment, the step of separating the first component of theexisting laminated fabric product from the second component of theexisting laminated fabric product is performed by melt separation.

In another embodiment, the first component of the existing laminatedfabric product and the at least one virgin polymer resin are the samematerial.

In certain embodiments, the pellets and the at least one virgin polymerresin are extruded to form a cast film. In one embodiment, the pelletsand the at least one virgin polymer resin are extruded to form a blownfilm.

In another embodiment, the laminated fabric is heat shrinkable. In oneembodiment, the laminated fabric is heat sealable.

In certain embodiments, the first component of the existing laminatedfabric product is a polyethylene polymer. In other embodiments, thesecond component of the existing laminated fabric product is PET.

In other embodiments, the method further includes the step of providinga second film and coextruding the film with the second film to form amultilayer film that is laminated to the nonwoven material.

Other features of the present invention will be apparent from the followDetailed Description of Embodiments of the Invention and theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective cover being collected forrecycling according to methods of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates the protective cover shown in FIG. 1 being processedaccording to certain steps of embodiments of the present invention toproduce a pelletized material.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the pelletized material shown in FIG. 2being processed according to certain steps of embodiments of the presentinvention to form a film.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the film shown in FIG. 3 being processedaccording to certain steps of embodiments of the present invention toform a laminated fabric.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a laminated fabric according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a new protective cover produced from alaminated fabric according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Certain embodiments of the invention described below are illustrated inthe context of laminated fabrics including a film constructed at leastin part from LDPE. However, it is to be understood that reference toLDPE is for purposes of example only. The invention is equallyapplicable to, and embodiments of the invention encompass, processingand manufacturing laminated fabrics and products that include laminatedfabrics having films constructed in whole or in part from PE and/or oneor more PE copolymers other than, instead of, or in addition to LDPE.

Referring to FIGS. 1-5, one embodiment of the present invention includesthe following steps:

Step 1—Collect material to be recycled, such as scrap laminated fabricresulting from manufacturing processes or used protective covers. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 1, a used protective cover 10 (such as a boatcover) can be obtained for processing according to embodiments of thepresent invention.

Step 2—Separate PET from LDPE in the material to be recycled andpelletize the plastics. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, used protectivecover 10 can be processed through a slitting or cutting apparatus 20 toproduce sections 10A of used protective cover 10.

Step 2a—Shredding the material to be recycled, such as, for example,processing sections 10A of used protective cover 10 through a shredder30 to produce shredded product 10B that includes both the film componentand the nonwoven component of used protective cover 10.

Step 2b—Melt separate PET from LDPE in the shredded product. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 2, shredded product 10B can be processedthrough an extruder 40 to separate the PET and LDPE into a PET productstream 50 and an LDPE product stream. Note that in certain embodimentsof the present invention, the PET and LDPE are completely separated toform PET product stream 50 and an LDPE product stream. In otherembodiments, some LDPE, adhesive or other material may remain in PETproduct stream 50 and some PET, adhesive or other material may remain inthe LDPE product stream. In one embodiment, 6%-12% by weight of the LDPEproduct stream is PET. However, a majority of PET product stream 50 isPET and a majority of the LDPE product stream is LDPE. In oneembodiment, the melt separation step is performed using an EttlingerERF-350 Melt Filter with a 120 micron screen installed on a NextGeneration Recycling Machines, Inc. (“NGR”) 85 mm Extruder. The extruderis available from Next Generation Recycling Machines, Inc. of Norcross,Ga.

Step 2c—Pelletize the LDPE product stream. For example, as shown in FIG.2, the LDPE product stream can be processed through a hot die (“HD”)pelletizer 60 to produce pellets 70. Pellets 70 are primarily LDPE,however, as noted above, because some PET may remain in the LDPE productstream, pellets 70 may be a mixture of LDPE and PET. Adhesive, color orother masterbatches, and other components of shredded product 10B mayalso be present in pellets 70.

Step 3—Produce a film by extruding the pelletized material with virginresin. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, pellets 70 can be combined withvirgin LDPE resin to form a starting material 80 that is processedthrough an extruder 90 to produce a film 100. Note that in certainembodiments of the invention, one or more virgin resins may extrudedwith pellets 70. For example, pellets 70 can be extruded with both LDPEand LLDPE virgin resin at the same time to produce film 100.

Step 4—Laminate the film to nonwoven material to form a laminatedfabric. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, film 100 can be laminated to anonwoven material 110 to produce a laminated fabric 120. In theembodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 4, this is accomplished byheating film 100 at a heating station 130, applying adhesive 140 tononwoven material 110 at a spraying station 150, and processing film 100and nonwoven material 110 through lamination rollers 160.

In other embodiments of the invention, film 100 is coextruded withvirgin film to form a multilayer film that can be laminated to nonwovenmaterial 110 utilizing adhesive 140. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, amultilayer film 170 can be formed having one or more layers of film 100and one or more layers of virgin film 180. Note that although layers 100are shown as located between the two layers of virgin film 180, they canbe located in any arrangement with respect to the layers of virgin film180.

In other embodiments of the invention, the layers of film 100 arecoextruded with the layers of virgin film 180 to form multilayer film170, which is then laminated to nonwoven material 110 in a single stepprocess like that shown in FIG. 4.

Step 5—Form a new protective cover. For example, laminated fabric 120can be used to form a new protective cover, such as a boat cover 190(FIG. 6).

In one embodiment of the invention, the equipment and operatingparameters that may be utilized for Step 2 above are indicated in thefollowing table:

TABLE 2 Reference Number LDPE Film and (Shipping Covers) PET FibersProduct Description High Temp Run Extruder Manufacturer NGR ScrewConfiguration (Single/Twin) single Extruder Screw Diameter 85 mm Vented(Yes/No) yes single Extruder Screw Speed 100 Extruder Workload (%) 78Extruder Temperature 230° C. Vent Purge Pressure (PSI) minor Filter Type(ECO/ERF) ERF 350 Screen Fineness (mm) 0.125 Operating Temperature 260°C. Capacity (kg/h) 101.6 Purge Amount (kg/h) 12.7 Purge Amount (%)12.50% Filter Inlet Pressure (kPa) 579 Filter Screen Pressure (kPa) 262Filter Exit Pressure (kPa) 317 Filter Drum Speed (RPM) 11.4 ExitScrew/Shaft Speed (RPM) 26.7 Inlet Temperature 118° C. OutletTemperature 119° C.

It has been found that use of methods according to the present inventionpermits the successful manufacture of laminated fabrics and protectivecovers even if there is not complete separation of the LDPE from thePET. For example, in one embodiment of the invention, pelletizedmaterial that included 10% PET content, less than 2% styrene-ethylenebutylene-styrene (“SEBS”) hot melt adhesive and the remainder LDPE wasable to be extruded and blown to produce a film that has acceptablephysical properties for use in the production of protective covers. Inone embodiment of the invention, up to 50% virgin LDPE resin is used inthe film. Use of 20% recycled pelletized material in the film results ina final laminated fabric that includes about 15%-16%postindustrial/postconsumer plastic by weight. The percentage can beincreased further if the nonwoven utilized to make the new laminatedfabric is manufactured from recycled polymers as well. For example,nonwoven material 110 could be manufactured from recycled PET. Doing sowould bring the total recycled content of the final laminated fabric toabout 35% by weight.

Product by weight before and after recycling is described on thefollowing table:

TABLE 3 Initial Laminate/Cover *Weight *Weight Composition (gsm) PercentTotal Weight 226 100% Film (LDPE/LLDPE) 180 79.6%  Adhesive (SEBS)  41.8% Nonwoven (PET)  42 18.6%  Total Recycled Resin  0 0 Recycled WeightPellet Content Percent LDPE/LLDPE  90% Adhesive Negligible PET  10% Filmw/PI and Weight PC Content Percent Recycled Resin  20% Virgin LDPE  30%Virgin LLDPE  50% Final Laminated Fabric Weight Weight Composition (gsm)Percent Total Weight 226 100% Film (LDPE/LLDPE) 180 79.6%  Adhesive(SEBS)  4 1.8% Nonwoven (PET)**  42 18.6%  Total Recycled Resin  36 16%Content in the Final Laminated Fabric** *Numbers are rounded to thenearest integer. **If the nonwoven used were 100% recycled PET, thetotal recycled content of the laminated fabric could be as high as 35%by weight.

The example above shows that by use of melt-separation and pelletizing,two different polymer systems can be recycled together and used toproduce a film that can further be laminated to form laminated fabricsand cut and sewn into covers for shipping and storage applications. Inthe non-limiting example provided above, the recycled content is between10% and 35% by weight.

In another embodiment of the invention, the nonwoven material utilizedfor the newly made laminated fabric is made from PLA polymers, whichmakes the laminated fabric partially biodegradable. Furthermore, becausePLA can be produced from renewable plant-based resources (as opposed tofossil fuels) it can provide additional environmental benefits.

Tables 4-6 disclose and describe properties of a film (Formula 1)produced without the use of recycled materials according to the presentinvention and two films (Formulas 2-3) according to embodiments of thepresent invention produced according to methods of the presentinvention. In the embodiments disclosed and discussed below, the filmswere produced on a blown film line utilizing pellets 70 according toembodiments of the present invention that contain 88% LDPE/LLDPE and 12%PET, virgin EXCEED® 1012 LLDPE (available from Exxon MobileCorporation), and a color and additive masterbatch.

TABLE 4 Formula 1 Formula 2 Formula 3 LLDPE 90 80 70 (1012) (wt. % 0)Master 10 10 10 Batch (wt. % 0) Pellets 70  0 10 20 (wt. % 0)

Extruder and blown film line parameters for the above formulas are shownbelow:

TABLE 5 Formula 1 Formula 2 Formula 3 Die Diameter (cm) 5.08 5.08 5.08Gauge (mm) 0.127 0.127 0.127 BUR 1 1 1 Lay Flat (cm) 9.2 9.2 9.2Extrusion rate (g/min) 21.3 21.3 21.3 Die factor (g/min/cm die 0.1140.114 0.114 circumference) Die Gap (mm) 0.762 0.762 0.762 Target FrostLine Height (cm) 5.08 5.08 5.08 Target Line Speed (m/min) 1.22 1.22 1.22Melt Temperature Profile (° C.) Zone 1 - Ext. 202 202 202 Zone 2 - Ext207 207 207 Zone 3 - Ext 210 210 210 Post Extruder Temperature Profile(° C.) a. Die Zone #1-#4 210 210 210 b. Air Ring Ambient Ambient AmbientMachine Load % 46 46 47

These film had the following properties:

TABLE 6 Formula 1 Formula 2 Formula 3 Thickness 0.112 0.138 0.121 (mm)Basis Weight 96.1 91.9 89.8 (gsm) Puncture (kg) 8.39 6.26 5.26 Elmendorf1802.24 1500.16 1960.96 Tear (grams) Machine Direction Elmendorf 1966.082042.88 2411.52 Tear (grams) Cross Direction Tensile 42.0 26.0 26.2Strength (MPa) Machine Direction Tensile 40.7 22.3 23.7 Strength (MPa)Cross Direction Yield Strength 9.0 7.0 8.2 (MPa) Machine Direction YieldStrength 9.0 6.3 6.8 (MPa) Cross Direction Break 610.3 582.79 583.17Elongation (%) Machine Direction Break 609.61 564.85 587.97 Elongation(%) Cross Direction Break Load 12.15 9.31 8.20 (kg) Machine DirectionBreak Load 11.78 8.01 7.39 (kg) Cross Direction 2% Modulus 130.0 109.2139.5 (MPa) Machine Direction 2% Modulus 137.7 114.0 141.5 (MPa) CrossDirection

Although the present invention has been described in detail, the same isfor purposes of illustration only and is not to be taken as a limitationon the scope of the invention. Numerous modifications can be made to theembodiments described above without departing from the scope of theinvention. For example, product containing polymers and materials otherthan those specifically discussed can be processed according to methodsof the present invention to produce laminated fabrics according toembodiments of the present invention. New products other than protectivecoves can be produced from laminated fabrics according to the presentinvention. Other variations are also within the scope of the presentinvention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of making a laminated fabric, includingthe steps of: obtaining an existing laminated fabric product, theexisting laminated fabric product having a first component having afirst melting point and a second component having a second melting pointdifferent from the melting point of the first component; dividing theexisting laminated fabric product into two or more pieces; shredding atleast some of the two or more pieces of the existing laminated fabricproduct to produce a shredded product; melt separating the firstcomponent from the second component in at least some of the shreddedproduct to produce a first product stream having a majority of the firstcomponent and at least some of the second component and a second productstream having a majority of the second component; pelletizing the firstproduct stream to produce pellets having a majority of the firstcomponent and at least some of the second component; providing at leastone virgin polymer resin; forming the pellets and the at least onevirgin polymer resin into a film; heating the film; providing a nonwovenmaterial; applying adhesive to the nonwoven material; and laminating thefilm to the nonwoven material.
 2. The method of claim 1, wherein thefirst component of the existing laminated fabric product and the atleast one virgin polymer resin are the same material.
 3. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the pellets and the at least one virgin polymer resinare extruded to form a cast film.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein thepellets and the at least one virgin polymer resin are extruded to form ablown film.
 5. A method of making a laminated fabric, including thesteps of: obtaining an existing laminated fabric product, the existinglaminated fabric product having a first component having a first meltingpoint and a second component having a second melting point differentfrom the melting point of the first component; separating the firstcomponent of the existing laminated fabric product from the secondcomponent of the existing laminated fabric product; forming the firstcomponent of the existing laminated fabric product into pellets;providing at least one virgin polymer resin; forming the pellets and theat least one virgin polymer resin into a film; providing a nonwovenmaterial; and laminating the film to the nonwoven material.
 6. Themethod according to claim 5, wherein the step of separating the firstcomponent of the existing laminated fabric product from the secondcomponent of the existing laminated fabric product is performed by meltseparation.
 7. The method of claim 5, wherein the first component of theexisting laminated fabric product and the at least one virgin polymerresin are the same material.
 8. The method of claim 5, wherein thepellets and the at least one virgin polymer resin are extruded to form acast film.
 9. The method of claim 5, wherein the pellets and the atleast one virgin polymer resin are extruded to form a blown film. 10.The method of claim 5, wherein the laminated fabric is heat shrinkable.11. The method of claim 5, wherein the first component of the existinglaminated fabric product is a polyethylene polymer.
 12. The method ofclaim 5, wherein the second component of the existing laminated fabricproduct is PET.
 13. The method of claim 5, wherein the laminated fabricis heat sealable.
 14. The method of claim 5, further including the stepof providing a second film and coextruding the film with the second filmto form a multilayer film that is laminated to the nonwoven material.